Nessy



(No Model.)

J. 1?'. HENNBSSY.

SLEIGH KNEE.

Patented lVIaLr`l 13, 1888.v

INVBNTOR ATTORNEYS.

irlrvrrnn STATES J AMES FRANKLIN HENNESSY, OE WINONA, MINNESOTA, ASSIGNOR TO HIM- SELF, HENRY M. KINNEY, AND THE VVINONA "WAGON COMPANY, ALL

OF SAME PLAGE.

SLEIGH-KNEE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 379,394, dated March 13, 1888.

Application filed August 2,1387. Serial No. 245.928.

To @ZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, J Aires FRANKLIN HEN- NEssY, of WTinona, in the county of XVinona, and State of Minnesota, have invented a new and Improved Sleigh-Knee, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

My invention relates to knees for connecting runners to the beams of sleighs, and has for its object to provide a simple, inexpensive,

1o and efficient device of this character which will allow limited vertical and lateral play of the runner that it may accommodate itself to irregularities of the road on which the sleigh travels, and without overstraining the runner,

I 5 the beam, or the reach which connects the front and rear runners of a bob-sleigh.

The invention consists in certain novel features of construction and combinations of parts of the sleigh-knee and its connections 2o to the runner and beam, all as hereinafter described and claimed.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar letters of reference indicate z5 corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure l is a side elevation of my improved sleighknee as applied to use. Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical sectional elevation thereof. Fig. 3 is an under side view of the cap ofthe knee,

3o and Fig. 4. is a perspective view of one of the bolts used to connect the knee-capte the knee and sleigh-beam.

The sleigh-knee proper, A, is provided with the usual opposite side flanges, a a, which lap onto the sides of the runner B, to which the knee is bolted. At its head or top part the knee is provided with a couple of half-rounded or convex lugs, C C, between which and transversely of the knee is formed a recess, c, having a convexed bottom and adapted to receive a lug, d, formed at the center of a cap-plate, D, which at opposite ends of said lug has recesses d d', receiving the lugs C C on the knee. The cap-lug cl is tapered at the sides each way from its transverse center, as clearly shown in Fig. 3, or the lug d may be rounded at each side, and the recess c ofthe knee is about straight at the sides. The cap-recesses d are concaved in the arc of a larger circle than the (No model.)

convexity ofthe knee-lugs C O is struck upon, 5o and these recesses will preferably be slightly dared at the sides from the lug d, and whereby, when the cap is held to the knee and to the sleiglrbeam E by the pair of pivot-bolts F F, the sleigh-runner B and the knee A, rigidly attached to the runner, may together have lateral movement in the cap B and on the lug d as a center of motion, to allow a limited but ample lateral play either way of the frontand rear ends of the runner to allow it to freely 6o accommodate itself to the road on which theA sleigh may travel.

The pivot-bolts F have a rightangular general form, their lower horizontal parts, f, passing rather loosely through the knee-lugs O O 6 and into the cap-lug d from opposite sides of the knee, while their outer vertically-rauging parts, f', pass through slots g g, formed in lugs G G, provided on the opposite ends of the cap D. The angular corner of each of the bolts F is formed with a flat vertical shoulder, f2, which abuts the outer end of the adjacent knee-lug C, and is provided, also, with ahorizontal shoulder, f3, which is drawn up snugly to the lug G by the nut j, which is screwed 75 onto the upper end of the bolt and preferably upon a washer interposed between it and the beam E, which ranges transversely of the sleigh, and to which the sleigh-body will be held in any approved way, and which may be connected by a reach with another beam provided with runners to form a bob-sleigh in a manner well understood.

The opposing faces of the knee A and the cap D at the front and rear of their lugs C Cd are so formed relatively with each other that, while the cap has asubstantial bearing on and in the top of the knee, the knee will have a limited front and rear vertical play or rocking motion under the cap to allow the front and rear ends of the runner B to rock or pitch up and down as much, and only so much,as will be necessary to allow the runner to accommodate itself to uneven places along the road without overstraining the parts of the sleigh, and especially the reach, by which the front and rear bobs ot the sleigh will be connected. Iprefer to slope or slightly bevel off the opposite upper faces or shoulders, c2 c2, of the knee-top at each side of the lugs G C and to leave the opposing side faces, di di, of the cap D about level, and so that the cap-faces form stops to the knee-faces c2 to limit the rocking of the runner; but it is obvious that the saine foreand aft limited vertical play or rocking of the runner would be permitted were the faces c2 fiat or level and the opposing` faces, d2, of the cap beveled, or if both faces c`1 di were either beveled or dat, if sufficient space be allowed between them while the cap bears on the kneelugs C C.

The cap D is provided at opposite sides with pendent lips or flanges H H, which overlap or overhang the adjacent outer edges of the top faces, c2 e2, of the sleigh-knee, and effectnally prevent entrance of snow, ice, or otherv substance between the cap D and runner, which, if allowed, would seriously interfere with or prevent the limited and desirable foreandaft vertical rocking of the runner above described.

Itis manifest that a sleigh-knee and cap constructed as above described, and allowing limited lateral play and also vertical fore-and-aft rocking or pitch of the runner, would operate with like good results were the lugs C C d pivoted together by one bolt and the cap D held vto the sleigh-beam by two other bolts, one at each end of the cap; hence the special form of the bolts F is a distinctly novel and desirable feature of my invention, as by their use but two bolts are required to hold each knee and cap to the runner and beam, and the paris of the sleigh may readilyT be dismembered for making repairs bysimply unscrewing the two nuts f4, which are conveniently accessible at the top of the sleigh-beam. Furthermore, the sleigh may be shipped in knockdown condition, and may be easily set up by first securing the knee A to the runner, then laying the cap D on the knee, then slipping the partsf of the bolts F into the lugs C C d of the knee and cap, while the parisf of the bolts enter the end slots, g, of the cap, and then setting the beam E on the partsf of the bolts, and finally screwing up the nuts f* ofthe bolts and above the beam, as will readily be understood.

While the above-described sleigh-knee renders the sleigh very easy and pliable or yielding on the road, the knee is at the same time very substantial, and a sleigh whose runners and beams are coupled by the knees is capable of hard and long-continued service.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

l. The combination, in a sleigh-knee, of a knee proper, A, formed with lugs C G and a recess, c, between them, a cap, D, provided with recesses d d', adapted to receive the kneelugs C G loosely, and formed also with a lug, d, adapted to the knee-recess c, and a pair of right-angular bolts entered into the lugs C C d from opposite sides of the knee and passing also through the cap and beam and receiving nutsabovethebeam,substantial1yas described, for the purposes set forth.

2. The combination, in a sleigh-knee, of a knee proper, A, formed with lugs C Gand a recess, c, between them, a cap, D, provided with recesses d d, receiving the lugs C C loosely, and formed also with slots gand with a lug, d, adapted to the knee-recess c, and apairof rightangular bolts, F F, having shouldersfzf3 at their corners and passed through the lugs C C into the lug d from opposite sides ofthe knee, and passed also through the cap-slotsg and the beam and receiving nutsf* above the beam, substantially as described, for the purposes set forth.

3. The sleigh-knee bolts F, formed with a part, f, and an angularly-disposed threaded part, f", receiving a nut, j, and connected to the partf by a corner-piece provided with shoulders fifi), substantially as described, for the purposes set forth.

JAMES FRANKLIN IIENNESSY.

Vintesses:

H. M. KINNEY, J. C. BLAKE. 

